Published on Wednesday, Feb 27, 2008
Are you frustrated with the low productivity levels in your organisation? Is the rampant lackadaisical attitude driving you crazy? Are you racking your brains wondering how to develop an efficient, committed and assiduous workforce?
Every manager worth his salt is ridden with the plague of trying to give a fill up to the motivation and success quotient of his subordinates. In an obvious attempt to boost enthusiasm by keeping them satiated, he grudgingly offers a pay raise or promotion. But, does it work? Unfortunately, the answer is most often a nay.
Well, cash is no longer King. The manager may just have missed the boat when it comes to fostering fervour and productivity among the employees. As Pepi Seppal, editor of the magazine HR World observes, ‘Companies cannot just get away with traditional rewards of salary and bonus anymore.’
All of us crave recognition – it’s a fact. This yearning swathes the workplace too as a lack of acknowledgement manifests itself as an annoying frustration. This can colour the best of employees with resentment. Likewise, even a passing word of appreciation can uplift the most ‘down in the dumps’ of souls and have them raring to go.
According to a study by Dr. Gerald Graham, a management professor at Wichita State University, Kansas, ‘The most powerful motivator is personalised, instant recognition from managers’. So, wake up to the power of recognition!
Every manager worth his salt is ridden with the plague of trying to give a fill up to the motivation and success quotient of his subordinates. In an obvious attempt to boost enthusiasm by keeping them satiated, he grudgingly offers a pay raise or promotion. But, does it work? Unfortunately, the answer is most often a nay.
Well, cash is no longer King. The manager may just have missed the boat when it comes to fostering fervour and productivity among the employees. As Pepi Seppal, editor of the magazine HR World observes, ‘Companies cannot just get away with traditional rewards of salary and bonus anymore.’
All of us crave recognition – it’s a fact. This yearning swathes the workplace too as a lack of acknowledgement manifests itself as an annoying frustration. This can colour the best of employees with resentment. Likewise, even a passing word of appreciation can uplift the most ‘down in the dumps’ of souls and have them raring to go.
According to a study by Dr. Gerald Graham, a management professor at Wichita State University, Kansas, ‘The most powerful motivator is personalised, instant recognition from managers’. So, wake up to the power of recognition!
Give back as good as you get:
When an employee puts in extra effort, it is the duty of the manager to recognise the achievement and show appreciation for the same. Once the stellar performance is acknowledged, it will spur him to perform even better. However, if the management fails to acknowledge the toil, he will not bother to expend the effort, the next time around.
Therefore, as a manager, you have to go a little out of your way to recognise quality and integrity as well as value innovation to provide positive reinforcement to the subordinates. As Spencer Johnson states in his book, ‘The One-Minute Manager’, ‘Observe employees closely to “catch” them doing right and praise immediately if possible’. Identify what is important to the company, spare time to notice corresponding achievements or behaviours and seek out the employee to reward him there and then. Also, as writer Alexander Hiam observes, ‘Giving someone a candy jar with their name on it is not what it is all about…..’ You have to be specific and point out what exactly was done right.
When an employee puts in extra effort, it is the duty of the manager to recognise the achievement and show appreciation for the same. Once the stellar performance is acknowledged, it will spur him to perform even better. However, if the management fails to acknowledge the toil, he will not bother to expend the effort, the next time around.
Therefore, as a manager, you have to go a little out of your way to recognise quality and integrity as well as value innovation to provide positive reinforcement to the subordinates. As Spencer Johnson states in his book, ‘The One-Minute Manager’, ‘Observe employees closely to “catch” them doing right and praise immediately if possible’. Identify what is important to the company, spare time to notice corresponding achievements or behaviours and seek out the employee to reward him there and then. Also, as writer Alexander Hiam observes, ‘Giving someone a candy jar with their name on it is not what it is all about…..’ You have to be specific and point out what exactly was done right.
One-minute praises:
As the celebrated author, Mark Twain once remarked, ‘I can live for two months on a good compliment!’ You do not have to wait for evaluation time to roll around; appreciate the efforts spontaneously. A sincere word of thanks at the right time goes a long way in boosting self-esteem and optimism. Publicly recognising good performance with congratulations and a round of applause gives the employee a few minutes under the sun. Infact, personalised, spur-of-the-moment rewards like a thoughtful thank-you card or message can mean more than a salary raise or a whole wall of plaques. Even an unexpected gesture like arranging some balloons and a cake to celebrate an employee’s success is more valuable than a string of praises. In effect, 63 per cent employees rank such ‘pats on the back’ as the most meaningful incentives.
Moreover, companies can even keep a treasure chest brimming with gifts like free dinners, grocery coupons, and gift certificates to reward employees on the spot.
As the celebrated author, Mark Twain once remarked, ‘I can live for two months on a good compliment!’ You do not have to wait for evaluation time to roll around; appreciate the efforts spontaneously. A sincere word of thanks at the right time goes a long way in boosting self-esteem and optimism. Publicly recognising good performance with congratulations and a round of applause gives the employee a few minutes under the sun. Infact, personalised, spur-of-the-moment rewards like a thoughtful thank-you card or message can mean more than a salary raise or a whole wall of plaques. Even an unexpected gesture like arranging some balloons and a cake to celebrate an employee’s success is more valuable than a string of praises. In effect, 63 per cent employees rank such ‘pats on the back’ as the most meaningful incentives.
Moreover, companies can even keep a treasure chest brimming with gifts like free dinners, grocery coupons, and gift certificates to reward employees on the spot.
More formal overtones:
Good performance does deserve more than just applause or free airline tickets for two! Thus, companies should also bring into play a formal rewards programme like linking performance with bonus, pay raise, promotion, profit-sharing, stock options, prized assignments, training opportunities and paid vacations.
Also organise regular employee appreciation events with incentives in the form of ‘employee of the month’ to recognise and regard excellent attendance, loyalty, attainment of goals, cost-saving suggestions or superior performance.
Innovation is the name of the game, as managers have to go all out to make a song and dance of employees’ achievements. For example, Bell Atlantic’s cellular telephone division names cell sites after its employees to tout them as flavour of the month. Similarly, Federal Express inscribes the name of a top performing employee’s child in large letters on the nose of each airplane it purchases. No wonder, its employees are gung-ho to improve their performance. So, assemble your own box of goodies but do tailor it to individual preferences of employees.
Such recognition does not cost much. According to the ‘People, Performance and Pay’ study by Houston American Productivity Center, ‘It generally takes five – eight per cent of an employee’s salary to change behaviour if the reward is cash and approximately four per cent of the employee’s salary if the reward is non-cash’.
At the end of the day, let not your heroes go unsung. As Rosabeth Kanter, a management consultant based in Massachusetts puts it, ‘Compensation is a right; recognition is a gift’. And, who does not love a gift!
Good performance does deserve more than just applause or free airline tickets for two! Thus, companies should also bring into play a formal rewards programme like linking performance with bonus, pay raise, promotion, profit-sharing, stock options, prized assignments, training opportunities and paid vacations.
Also organise regular employee appreciation events with incentives in the form of ‘employee of the month’ to recognise and regard excellent attendance, loyalty, attainment of goals, cost-saving suggestions or superior performance.
Innovation is the name of the game, as managers have to go all out to make a song and dance of employees’ achievements. For example, Bell Atlantic’s cellular telephone division names cell sites after its employees to tout them as flavour of the month. Similarly, Federal Express inscribes the name of a top performing employee’s child in large letters on the nose of each airplane it purchases. No wonder, its employees are gung-ho to improve their performance. So, assemble your own box of goodies but do tailor it to individual preferences of employees.
Such recognition does not cost much. According to the ‘People, Performance and Pay’ study by Houston American Productivity Center, ‘It generally takes five – eight per cent of an employee’s salary to change behaviour if the reward is cash and approximately four per cent of the employee’s salary if the reward is non-cash’.
At the end of the day, let not your heroes go unsung. As Rosabeth Kanter, a management consultant based in Massachusetts puts it, ‘Compensation is a right; recognition is a gift’. And, who does not love a gift!
PAYAL CHANANIA
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